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Mark Nutting, CSCS,*D, NSCA-CPT,*DMark Nutting has been a personal trainer and health club manager for 34 years. Currently, he is the Fitness Director, Master Trainer, and Group Fitness Instructor at Saco Sport and Fitness in Saco, ME. Nutting has previously been the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) Maine State Director (2005 State Director of the Year), Northeast Regional Coordinator, served on the NSCA-Certified Personal Trainer (NSCA-CPT) Exam Development Committee, and was the Personal Trainer Special Interest Group (SIG) Chairperson. He was also the 2009 NSCA Personal Trainer of the Year.

1. Describe a typical day in your life…Monday through Friday I get up at 4:00 am to be ready to train my first client at 5:00 am. I typically train until noon and then have management duties. Three nights a week, I teach group fitness classes, two boot camps and a Body Training Systems (BTS) group core class. Independent of the club work, I maintain two blogs, four Facebook business pages, a LinkedIn group, and a monthly newsletter.

2. Can you identify a key turning point in your life/career that put you on your current path?I have had lots of opportunities throughout my career, but one big turning point for me was getting involved in the NSCA. After receiving my Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist® (CSCS®) and NSCA-Certified Personal Trainer® (NSCA-CPT®) certifications, I knew that I wanted to get involved with the NSCA. My role as a state director was the beginning of a decade and a half of volunteering with the NSCA. I have learned a lot and made great friends and connections through my work with the NSCA. I would highly recommend it to anyone wanting to have an impact on the industry.

3. Do you have any mentors? I have never had a mentor per se. I started my career over 34 years ago and there were not many others pursuing personal training. So, finding a mentor in the field was difficult. On the other hand, I have had a lot of individuals that have inspired me to continue to challenge myself professionally.

4. Why did you choose the NSCA when selecting your certification? It was not my first choice; my first certification was the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Health and Fitness Specialist (HFS). What I later realized was that ACSM’s more clinical approach was not what I was looking for, while the NSCA’s certifications were based more on functional exercise and would serve me better in the direction I wanted my career to go.

5. Describe your area of expertise? As a personal trainer, while I feel confident in many areas, I would have to say that I am strongest in post-rehabilitation conditioning and weight loss. I have also spent the last 10 years studying business, sales, and marketing and have created a secondary career as a business coach for personal trainers.

6. What advice do you have for up-and-coming trainers who are interested in developing their career in the fitness industry? Never stop learning. Read, go to conferences and clinics, take courses, do anything you can to increase your knowledge base. Get involved with the NSCA. One of the great things about the NSCA is the local opportunity to get involved. Contact your state director and see how you might be able to help out. My presentation skills were largely honed at the local clinics.

7. If you could go back in time and tell yourself one thing, what would it be? Learn about the business of personal training earlier. It is the one area I neglected until later in my life that may have had the biggest impact on my early career.

8. Tell us about yourself – what catches your interest, what do you do for fun, etc.I have been married to my wife, Heather, for 17 years and cannot imagine spending my life with anyone else. We have two teenage boys that we try to raise to be healthy, happy individuals. I am an information junkie. I read at least two books per month, as well as many articles and studies. I am a former actor/dancer/musician and I love the arts (I still want to find time to get back to teaching improvisational theater). I enjoy writing and hope to complete my book on the business of personal training.

9. Do you have any upcoming speaking engagements, products, etc? Please provide a short description and why someone should attend.I will be presenting next at the NSCA Personal Trainer Conference in October 2014. The session will explore the variables in constructing a successful boot camp. Everything from exercise selection, progressions/regressions, maximizing your potential audience, to music selection will be covered. Also there will be a hands-on portion, of course.